Monday, December 19, 2011

Despite guest encouragement I am unlikely to put together a cookbook of our recipes. This is one of our most popular egg dishes.﻿﻿ When I suggested it to Cook David he was convinced that no one would eat feta any time of the day much less spinach for breakfast and did not want to serve it.

The original recipe had two sticks of butter which is a way too much for us. I have been known to skip the butter altogether but frankly the texture suffers. We have increased the nutmeg from the original "dash". The dish can be made with all egg whites but will rise more and fall faster so it doesn't look as nice by the time it gets to the table. We cook it in individual ramekins so that we can stagger the cooking times over our two hour breakfast service. It tastes just as good in a sheet pan and holds well if kept warm for a buffet.

Eggs Florentine

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach

8 eggs

1/2 stick of butter melted

1/2 lb of Swiss cheese, shredded

1/2 lb feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Cook the spinach per directions on the package, drain well and use paper toweling to squeeze out all the moisture. Beat the eggs thoroughly, then mix in the rest of the ingredients thoroughly. Grease or spray baking container with Pam type product. Pour the mixture into 9 X 12 baking dish, cup cake tins, or individual ramekins for cooking.Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. The mixture should rise a bit, like a mini souffle but will fall quickly. Can be prepared the night before and refrigerated (covered) to be baked off in the morning. To use as appetizers bake in a mini muffin tin for about 20 minutes.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

I must say that setting the table every day gets a bit samey. Over the years I have tried different center pieces. One winter I had fish from my pond gracing the tables. They were fun but not really practical for the long haul. These days my fish are too big to bring inside during the winter.

The old stand-bys like candles and flowers are OK. I would rather use flowers from my garden though instead store bought and the Fire Marshall really doesn't like candles. Besides, given our casual attitudes, some mornings candles just seem pretentious.

My current inspiration couldn't be easier or more inexpensive. I found two feathered birds in a pack at the Dollar Store that look a bit like the cardinals that frequent the bird feeders outside the dining room window. (They were with the Christmas ornaments.) Then I cut a bit off of the Christmas tree scraps for them to sit on.

I find them very cheerful. Since they aren't strictly holiday themed I think they may be spending most of the winter months on the table. ﻿The down side is that the pine needles are getting dryer and are starting to drop. I will probably switch to holly cuttings or other evergreen cuttings from the garden.